Behind the brand

“For years you have been paving the way for this.” - JPP, Kitty’s mum

In the saddle, the toughest rides are the most returning - those ones where you feel incredibly vulnerable, challenged to new limits and in desperate need of a pub by the end. The ride to launch KPP has been no different (even though my quads haven’t got any stronger from it).

Below is a mixture of facts behind the brand and some rules of the road that have kept the wheels spinning in the right direction:

Since day one, every project, design or decision supports our unwavering mantra and crusade to keep pedalling. Keep positive.

The industry is bloated with brands that treat women as an after thought. So instead of just choosing to be female first, the brand is female only.

The logo is 'KPP' handdrawn. I doodled it about ten years ago when I first began scanning in sketches and making books.

I met a group of women four years ago on a Rapha ride in London. They’re now some of my best friends and have been a huge inspiration behind the brand as well as the characters you’ll see across the site and product.

I race for a team called Scarpa Racing. A lot of decisions were inspired after conversations with my team mates (even if they didn't realise it at the time).

The term ‘Powerluft’ was founded on a ride in Kent with two of my girl friends. The concept was driven from witnessing their strength and being inspired by their character, whilst we all sat wearing caps stupidly high and demolishing french toast together.

The first KPP collaboration launched 12 months ago with Camden Watch Company - a watch for cyclists that wasn’t performance based. Instead it was a design driven by details and stories from the vintage cycling era and launched at L’Eroica Festival. It was recently spotted on Martin Freeman and you can still purchase it here.

Any product I design has to fit into one of three categories that cyclists constantly find themselves in: pre-ride routine, post-ride contentment or everyday living as a cyclist. Having boundaries has benefits.

One of the brand values is ‘preferences’ - you’ll see this word a lot. It essentially means having habits and a propensity towards certain things in life. There’s a wonderful sense of belonging that exists when you choose to believe in something so strongly (even if that’s purely the preference of how you serve your porridge).

The brand has four other values, but they’re a secret. They guide every decision I make. And I promise one isnt ‘drink gin everynight’. Though that should probably be a life rule.

In turns out that less actually is more and you’ll see this theme throughout the entire brand. For e.g I only send one newsletter a month and it’s been designed to be useful to female cyclists rather than spam.

I journal everything. It keeps me focused and sane knowing that even when I feel like I am going backwards, there is always hidden progression. I started my online journal in 2016 after crashing my bike and hoped the act of documenting would speed up the process of dealing with it. You can view the most recent entries here.

It’s been a long journey making it to this checkpoint, but it’s also just the beginning. Time to clip back in, keep stuffing my pockets with food and prepare the legs and heart for the rest of the ride.

For now, you can sign up to join the female community and shop the latest products.